B u tab u
A
W e st A f r i c a’s e x t r ao r d i n a ry e a rt h e n l e g ac y
brick, the variety of architectural forms found throughout West Africa
mong the Batammaliba of Togo, the word butabu
illustrates the myriad ways in which the simple properties of earth and
describes a process of moistening earth with water in
water have come together to create works of striking artistic sophisticapreparation for building—the prefix and suffix bu refertion and interest.
encing the earth and all that is associated with it. WetNot only do the sun's rays bathe the earthen core of a building, makearth construction is a complex art based on a sound
ing it hard and resilient, but they also continually redefine the structure's
knowledge of structure and the inherent properties
surface and interior features with patterns of light and shade as they
of various kinds of earth. If the earth is not of the correct texture, if its
pass overhead through the course of each day. Many of theses edifices,
kneading is rushed, if walls are not perpendicular to the ground, if strucespecially the tall ones, boast rows of timbers bristling
tural design is uneven, or if a final layer of plaster is not
by Suzanne Preston Blier from their exteriors, on which the sun’s shadows play off
properly applied, a building may very well collapse.
Whether modeled by hand or built of mud-
photographs by James Morris
particularly dramatically. These spikey elements serve
arched windows punctuate
a gray earthen mosque in
the village of San, Mali.
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images from BUTABU Adobe Architecture of West Africa by James Morris, Princeton Architectural Press, 2003
While austere on the exterior,
The Hausa mosque at Kossa,
Niger, above, has a vibrant domed
interior. Carved details within
the house of Sidi Ka in Agadez,
Niger, left, illustrate the manner
in which WEst African adobe
architecture takes on the quality
of sculpture.
both to solidify the structure, and to help alleviate moisture, but also to offer supportive scaffolding during yearly
replastering. Building roofs, which boast wooden or pottery drainspouts to channel seasonal rains, are made of
thatch or earth, the latter either domed or flat.
West African earthen architecture collectively challenges the inherent boundaries between built form and
sculpture in their visual power and unique play of texture, geometry, light, and shade. These buildings incorporate
the vital attributes of geometric primacy and boldness that pervade so many of the continent’s figural traditions
and invite tactility, an element critical to appreciation. Important too is the manner in which dynamic aspects of
silhouette shape a structure, promoting a sense of geometric rhythm and a point-counterpoint of concave and
convex volumes.
On the interior, multiple levels of space often are articulated through a combination of pole and beam flooring/
terrace articulation supported by the adjacent earthen joining walls. Upper levels, which are reached by earthen
steps or ladders, serve a variety of functions as both open-air spaces and enclosed chambers. Beyond their sheer
architectural value, West African buildings of earth are often imbued with potent symbolism. Cones of the same
material, which historically have served as shrines in this area dedicated to deities, ancestors, wild game, and an
array of spirit powers, often punctuate a portal, either at ground level or along the roofline. These conical forms
feature prominently in local mosques and some modern post-colonial building forms as well.
Centuries of upheaval, which led to the massive uprooting of local populations through war, migration, and
slavery, also have left a mark on the region's architecture, and in part, as a result, this architecture also expresses
vital social and political concerns. One example is the famous Djenne mosque in Mali. This structure was literally melted at one point in its history when an opposing Moslem leader had the structure’s vital drainage system
blocked. Other important works—for example Boso men’s houses—were designed by former slaves, whose freedom found expression in bold new architectural idioms.
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winter 2003/2004
wmf (3)
ounded in the mid-seventeenth century, Larabanga is the
oldest and most revered of eight ancient mosques in Ghana,
serving as an important place of pilgrimage for the region’s
Muslim community. Built in the Sudanese style on a quatrefoil plan, the diminutive earthen structure is ringed by
conical buttresses bolstered by rows of horizontal timbers.
A minaret rises from the northwest corner; a mihrab, or niche pointing
toward Mecca, graces the building’s east facade.
Although Larabanga had retained much of its architectural integrity over the centuries, a coating of waterproof sand-cement applied
to its exterior in the 1970s resulted in substantial damage to the
building. In time, moisture trapped within the earthen walls began
to weaken them, while termites, attracted
by the sanctuary’s high humidity, took up
residence in wooden beams and support
timbers. Collectively, the moisture and
stairs to minaret
infestation caused portions of the building
to collapse. Although the mosque’s congregation worked to stem the damage, the
shape of the towers and buttressess
was significantly altered with each
repair. In September 2002, the minaret and mihrab were felled by a­­ violent
rainstorm. Given the dire condition of
the building, it was placed on WMF’s 2002
Ÿ
N
mihrab
L a r aban g a M osq u e
a
g h a n a i a n
t r e a s u r e
r e b o r n
list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites.
oday, this jewel of Sudanese-style architecture stands
reborn, thanks to the efforts of the Ghana Museums
and Monuments Board and CRA-Terre EAG, an international research center that specializes in earthen buildings
at the School of Architecture in Grenoble, France. Funded
by WMF through a generous grant from American Express,
conservators, working in concert with the local community,
carefully removed the cement plaster from the mosque,
replaced damaged timbers, reconstructed the collapsed
minaret and mihrab, restored the portal, and refaced the
structure in traditional mud plaster.
The project has served as an important catalyst for the
rebirth of mud-plaster construction, an art that has waned
over the decades as more and more buildings in the area
are built of iron and concrete. Compared to concrete,
earthern architecture requires substantial maintenance,
needing to be refreshed each year following the rainy season.
However, it is far more sympathetic to the environment and
better suited to the extreme heat of West Africa, providing
cool interior spaces throughout the year.
Since its restoration, the mosque has resumed its vital
role in the spiritual life of northern Ghana. On Fridays,
canopies are erected around the structure to accommodate
Larabanga’s growing congregation. The local community is
now working to build a nearby visitors’ center to share with
the world the ways of a vanishing art. ■
T
Buiilt in the seventeenth century, the Larabanga
Mosque had suffered from inappropriate
restoration. A layer of sand-cement applied in
the 1970s, top, trapped water in earthen walls,
weakening them. Since Larabanga appeared on
WMF’s 2002 list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites,
the mosque has been restored, center, using
traditional methods, prompting a revival of the
vanishing arT of mud-brick construction.
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Who are the creators of these earthen wonders? Among many
West African peoples, such as the Boso, who figured prominently in
the architectural development of Mali’s Niger River Delta, architects
hold a unique place in society, possessing special knowledge of the
occult and properties of the earth. In the Djenne and Mande areas
of Mali, architects are traditionally members of a ton, or caste-like
association, whose knowledge of structures is passed from father
to son. In the Hausa states of what are today northern Nigeria and
southern Niger, guilds of builders are organized under a master, or
majini, chosen for his technical prowess and creativity. Among the
most famous of these Hausa masters was the nineteenth-century
architect, Mallam Mikhaila of Sokoto, Nigeria, who was hailed as
a Babban Gwani (supreme expert) and Kakan Magini (grandfather
of the builders). According to legend, he built the Sokoto Mosque
over the course of a single night. Architects in the rural Batammaliba
communities of northern Togo and Benin, in contrast to their Hausa
and Mande counterparts, practice independently, learning their art
through apprenticeship with a master. Each signs his structures with
markings where wall foundations join. Whether or not individually identified as the work of a particular builder, the creativity and
uniqueness of each work of African earthen architecture is evident.
The local environment from which this architecture largely has
been shaped has had an impact too. While earth is omnipresent,
water and timber are becoming ever rarer commodities. So too is
the expertise of skilled designers and builders of earthen structures.
All of this makes the need for endeavors to preserve this extraordinary architectural legacy all the more critical. ■
The mosque at Yebe, Mali, right, is one of a number
of recent buildings modeled on the great mosque
at Djenne. designs painted on a compound in
Sirigu, Ghana, are based on motifs often seen in
textiles. Known locally as the “red house,” Facing
Page, the house of a Marabout in Segou, mali,
celebrates the richness of the earth.
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